BEIJING - Beijing's permanent population reached 20.69 million by the end of 2012, marking a slower year-on-year growth of 2.5 percent, according to statistics released on Sunday.

Permanent residents in the Chinese capital increased by 507,000 in the one-year period since the end of 2011, according to data released by the Beijing Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau says Beijing has about 7.74 million non-native residents who have settled down for over half a year. Their population has increased by 316,000 since the end of 2011.

Xia Qinfang, vice head of the bureau, said the low growth rate this year was partially attributed to the city's slower GDP growth, which stood at 7.7 percent in 2012.

Beijing's population has observed a downward trend in growth since 2011. Experts said explosive population was a factor behind multiple problems faced by Chinese cities, including traffic jams and surging house prices.